


Pretty Princess

by therunawaypen



Series: Avengers Tumblr Prompt Fills [21]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Frigga, Bullying, Crossdressing, F/M, Gen, Kid Fic, Kid Loki, Loki in a dress, Odin's Good Parenting, Sometimes Loki feels like a boy, gender fluidity, judgemental parents, parents can be jerks, sometimes he feels like a girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-21 04:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1537961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therunawaypen/pseuds/therunawaypen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark's birthday party is a grand affair, with a fairy tale theme. But when little Loki Odinson arrives dressed as a princess, the other parents are quick to judge Frigga.</p><p>Odin is having none of that shit.</p><p>Tony just likes having a pretty princess at his party</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please! Sometimes little Loki feels like a boy, others he feels like a girl. It’s little Tony’s birthday party, the theme is fairy tales and Loki decides to go as a princess. Tony is delighted with that but fools adults not, Odin loves his youngest son and makes clear when other parents start attacking Frigga for help Loki with his dress. And Howard Stark is cool with the Tony’s friend. P.S. You’re great and thanks for your fills. —anon

Stark parties were always the best. Whether they were New Year’s parties, Cinco de Mayo, or even just a “Hey, I’m bored on a Tuesday” party, everyone knew that if there was a party at the Stark house (no matter _which_ Stark house), they were in for a good time.  So when it was time for little Tony Stark’s birthday party, it was simply common knowledge that Howard would pull out all the stops to give his boy the best party imaginable.

So when guests learned the party was a fantasy theme, and that all the children were encouraged to dress up, it simply icing on the cake (the large seven tier cake that Howard had commissioned for the party to look like a castle). Everyone eagerly dressed up their sons as princes and knights and their daughters as princesses and fairies.

Of course, the birthday boy himself had the best costume: he was a knight, custom armor and all. And if he had insisted that his armor be red and gold instead of the usual colors for armor…well, no one was going to say anything.

With the bouncy castles, medieval jousting, and all the usual trappings of a medieval fairy tale, Tony Stark’s birthday was going off without a hitch.

At least, until the Odinsons showed up.

Everyone had expected Odin Odinson to be at the party, considering the army general was the liaison between Howard Stark and the Army. The man was as straight laced as they came, and his wife Frigga was a dutiful homemaker.

Then there were the two boys. The oldest, Thor, was just like any boy his age, if not a bit burlier. Dressed in a typical knight, Thor wasted no time in joining Tony in fighting the “dragon” at the party (a very well paid British actor).

It was Loki that caught the attention of the parents at the party. The small boy was dressed in bright sequins and tulle of a princess dress, complete with a tiara in his dark hair.

“Go play, sweetheart.” Frigga smiled softly, gently urging the boy to go enjoy the party.

Of course, it was after Loki was out of earshot that the other parents converged on Frigga.

“Why would you dress him like that?”

“How could you embarrass him like that?”

“He’s going to get bullied.”

Frigga frowned, “Loki wanted to wear his princess costume today, not his knight costume.”

The parents scoffed, giving Frigga a range of judgmental looks.

“Just because you don’t have a daughter doesn’t mean you need to punish your son.”

“You’re going to mess with his mind.”

“He’s going to grow up to be a freak.”

There was a low growl that came from behind the mob of parents, and the gossiping parents came face to face with one General Odinson. One very furious General Odinson. “If I hear you talk bad about my son, or try and bully my wife, ever again, I will make your lives a living hell.”

The parents stood frozen for a moment. Of course, a moment was all Odin needed to take his wife’s hand and lead her away from the group, to where Howard and Maria Stark were seated, sipping drinks and watching the party. “Sorry about the fuss.” Odin huffed, trying to calm down.

Howard waved off Odin’s apology, “They’re just pissed your kid’s prettier than their daughters.” He took a sip of his scotch, watching as Tony and Loki ran around the play castle, hand in hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony blinked, slightly confused when Thor and Loki arrived. Why was Loki wearing a dress? Both brothers could have dressed up as knights if they had wanted to.

When Loki walked shyly to where the rest of the children were playing, Tony was quick to approach him, “Why are you wearing a dress?” He asked, subtlety not his strong point.

Loki blushed, “…I felt like being a girl today.”

Oh. Well, that made sense, “Alright.” Tony nodded, “Do I call you Princess Loki?”

The younger boy blushed, nodding.

“Alright then!” Tony grinned, grabbing Loki’s hand, “We’re going to play dragons, ok? The dragon is going to keep you in the castle, and I’m going to save you.”

Loki didn’t get much chance to answer before he was dragged off to the castle, guarded by the fearsome “dragon” (though to be fair, the actors costume was rather realistic). He couldn’t help but giggle as he watched from the top of the play castle as all the “knights” fought the dragon. Tony was especially fun to watch, with him bouncing about with his toy sword, always jumping headfirst into the fray in a blur of red and gold.

Eventually the dragon was slain and the knights eagerly trampled over him to get to the castle (no doubt the actor would get paid double for his troubles). Loki was jumping happily with the other “princesses” as the knights came in to save the day, especially when Tony came and took his hand again. “Ready, Princess Loki?”

Blushing, Loki nodded. Tony wasted no time in rushing them to the slide that led from the top of the castle to the bottom. He even made sure to have Loki sit in his lap as they rode down (even if all the tulle from Loki’s dress got in Tony’s face during the ride). When they got to the bottom, Loki made sure to straighten out his dress and tiara (after all, a princess always makes sure she looks her best).

“My hero!” Loki giggled, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek.

Tony, who was no stranger to kisses (he had gotten in trouble once for kissing Pepper under the jungle gym), blushed bright red. Loki smiled, the glitter on his face sparkling slightly.

A grin spread on Tony’s face, “Come on, we’ve got more games to play, Princess!”


	3. Chapter 3

“I apologize for causing such a fuss, Howard.” Odin sighed as he took a drink from a passing server, “I wasn’t exactly putting my best foot forward.”

“Your best foot forward is usually a big gun, Odin.” Howard chuckled, lounging in his patio seat as he watched the party below, “And think nothing of it. You know how socialites aren’t happy unless than can nag about something.”

Frigga sat next to her husband, “I do hope that Loki isn’t causing a fuss…”

Howard waved off her concerns, “Judging by the way Tony won’t let Loki go, I’d say he’s causing no fuss at all.”

“It really is a lovely dress, Frigga.” Maria nodded, “How did you find it?”

_“Thor, please do not touch the displays. They are not to play with.” Frigga reminded her son, shaking her head fondly. Her oldest son never did manage to behave himself during shopping trips_

_Thor, who was currently in the process of posing with the store’s mannequins, gave his mother a sheepish look, “Sorry mom…” He muttered, returning to her side._

_Figga only smiled, smoothing Thor’s unruly hair, “We should give you a haircut…” she mused as they walked through the store._

_Her eldest shook his head firmly, “I don’t want to cut my hair…” he fussed. Of course he didn’t, Frigga smiled softly, he never did._

_The three of them were currently shopping for a birthday present to bring to Tony Stark’s birthday party. Luckily, Frigga had the foresight to buy costumes during a previous shopping trip (it would have been a nightmare to try and tackle both tasks at once, especially without Odin’s help)._

_Loki, who hadn’t left his mother’s side, suddenly ran to one of the displays on the other side of the store. Frigga looked over to see that her youngest son was currently enthralled in a display of fancy party dresses. While Loki was currently wearing jeans and a Power Rangers shirt, and that there was a Prince costume waiting for Loki at home, Frigga also knew there was no predicting how Loki would feel on a day to day basis._

_“Loki, sweetheart?” Frigga followed her son (making sure to keep Thor in her sight), “Do you see something you like?”_

_The young boy nodded, reaching out and touching the green tulle of one dress._

_“Are you sure, Loki? You do have your prince costume at home.”_

_Loki nodded again, “I’m sure…I like this.”_

_Well, it was a lovely dress. And if Loki didn’t wear it to the party, there would no doubt be another event in which he could wear it. Frigga laid a hand on Loki’s head, “Alright sweetie, let’s find your size.”_

“Well, I must say Loki looks better than half the pageant princesses here.” Howard snorted.

Maria rolled her eyes, “Howard, don’t be cruel.”

Before Howard could reply, a blur of red, gold, and green sped past the adults and behind the wet bar. Maria shook her head, standing, “Tony, I told you not to go near the bar…” She muttered, walking to where her son was hiding.

Both Tony and Loki were huddled behind the bar (much to the discomfort of the bartender serving the parents at the party). But Maria also noticed that Tony was carrying a large platter, which contained the topmost layer of the massive birthday cake. And both children were in the process of stuffing their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

“Sorry my mom took the cake from us.” Tony frowned as he and Loki made their way down from the patio.

Loki smiled, holding Tony’s hand as they walked down the stairs, “It’s alright Tony, I’m sure we’ll be able to have more later.” He laughed.

Both boys grinned as they walked past the birthday cake, which now had the top layer back in place (albeit with a large chunk already missing from it), going to the large table that was filled with a wide variety of “medieval” food. Tony poured them both a glass of bubbling “witch’s brew” (a kid friendly version of the punch being served to the parents).

“Princess.” He grinned as he handed Loki his glass. Tony liked the way Loki’s cheeks turned pink as he giggled, taking the glass.

“Why thank you, sir knight.” Loki curtsied cutely, sipping his punch contently.

Tony was content to simply spend his party with Loki. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for all the party goers.

“Tony!”

The birthday boy groaned, cringing at his name being called out, “Go away Christy!” The blonde always so nosy, always wanting to be a part of Tony’s business. It was so annoying.

The purple-clad princess didn’t seem put off by Tony’s outburst, intent on joining him and Loki, “You can’t spend the entire party with just one person, Tony.”

“Watch me.” Tony nodded firmly, holding Loki’s hand.

Christy wasn’t to be dissuaded, “Come on Tony, Loki’s boring! Have more fun with us!” she pointed toward her group of friends, all in different shades of purple and pink and all giggling. At what, Tony had no idea.

But it was probably stupid.

“Loki is way more fun than you’ll ever be!” Tony insisted.

Christy fumed, cheeks turning red, “He looks silly in that dress!” She blurted.

“Loki’s beautiful!”

If Loki could have blushed any more, it would have been in the moment that Tony grabbed him and kissed him right on the lips. Lips puckered and everything.

There was the loud sound of squeals from several of the girls at the party, followed by a bright flash in Tony and Loki’s faces. Opening his eyes (when had he closed them?), Tony saw that the photographer his dad had hired had taken their picture.

Seeing that the entire party was watching them, Loki let go of Tony’s hand, running to hide in the castle before Tony could say anything.

“Well that was certainly entertaining.”

Tony blinked, looking up to see his father walking toward him, drink in hand. “I don’t understand…” Tony frowned, looking back to where Loki had run off to.

“You never will,” Howard shook his head, “Trust me, man was never meant to understand women.”

“But Loki’s a—”

“Don’t ask questions, Tony. Don’t make things complicated.” Howard took a drink, “Go after him.”

That, Tony could understand. Without further ado, Tony ran up to the castle. After Tony was off on his own quest, Howard waved the photographer over, gesturing for the camera. The photographer was reluctant to hand over his camera, but eventually surrendered it to his employer. With camera in hand, Howard looked at the picture on display.

“Oh yeah, that one is going in the wedding slideshow when the time comes.”


	5. Twenty Years Later

The reception was an elegant affair, and lavish. Of course it was, with Tony’s bank account and Loki’s eye for design. The happy couple were seated at the head table, enjoying the five course dinner being served.

“So how much longer until we can leave?” Tony muttered into his wine glass.

Loki rolled his eyes, “We can leave as soon as the reception is over.” He chuckled, “It’s not like the plan will leave without us.”

“Having a private jet is both a blessing and a curse.”

“Tony…” Loki tried not to smile too much at Tony’s complaining, instead taking a sip of his own wine.

It was then that the emcee got on the microphone, “Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the bride and her father to share a dance.”

Tony and Loki smiled at each other as if they were sharing a secret as Loki stood, walking gracefully to meet his father on the dance floor.

The general was in his dress uniform as he waited for his youngest child. He smiled softly, “You look lovely, Loki.”

“Thank you, dad.” Loki said softly, taking his hand as the music started for their dance. It was quite impressive, with Loki following the elegant waltz in high heels and a mermaid gown. But then again, Loki strived to be nothing less than impressive, if not astounding.

The army general did his best to keep up with his son, his steps well practiced (if a bit stiff). But the aging military man couldn’t help but look on his beautiful son, and remember the first time he had come to a crossroad concerning his son’s identity.

_“Daddy, lookit!”_

_Major Odinson had been halfway through looking at his men’s service records in time for an annual review when he heard his youngest son’s voice call for his attention. He half expected to look up and see Loki holding up a finger painting he had completed or a macaroni collage._

_He never expected to see his four year old son wearing Frigga’s blue sequin shirt like a dress, as well as her purple pumps and bright red lipstick._

_“Do I look pretty?” Loki grinned, trying his best to walk in his mother’s shoes._

_For a moment, Odin panicked. What do you tell a young boy? He shouldn’t be wearing his mother’s clothes, he needs to be wearing jeans and a t-shirt with his favorite sports team and a pair of sneakers, that he shouldn’t be wearing make-up, that he—_

_“Of course you look pretty Loki. You look beautiful.” Odin smiled softly, “Though you should ask your mother before you use her make-up, alright?”_

_“Okay, Daddy!” Loki smiled, scampering off as fast as he could (if a bit shaky in his footing)._

The music came to a slow stop, and Loki leaned forward, hugging Odin tightly, “Thank you.” He said softly.

“For what?” The general asked.

Loki didn’t answer, simply smiling. Of course, Odin didn’t really need an answer as he watched his son return to his seat next to his husband.

The lights began to dim, and the reception hall hushed as their attention turned to the bright slideshow that began to play. The couple sat together as they watched the various photographs from their childhood.

Their prom picture, where they were both wearing tuxes and both trying to look more dapper than the other.

Pictures from their first date (Tony took Loki to one of his favorite restaurants...in New York. Howard had not been happy about having his jet commandeered).

And of course, there were plenty of pictures from their childhood. Such as Loki’s sixth birthday party, and both Tony and Loki had black cat ears and tails. Tony was wearing a Captain America t-shirt, Loki was wearing a red party dress.

But the big finale of the slide show, obviously, was the picture of the two at Tony’s birthday party, where Tony, donned in his red and gold armor, kissing a surprised Princess Loki.

The crowd oo-ed and aw-ed, and from his seat at the bar, Howard Stark looked incredibly smug.


End file.
